A thing I’ve been really frustrated by with a lot of coronavirus advice posts is lack of specificity. What does “quarantine for 14 days” mean? Do I need to poop in a bucket? Can I use my private yard? Let deliveries be placed on my doorstep? If I’m recovered but my housemate is still sick, what are my obligations?
This is a thread for all of those questions. Nothing is too trivial to include, and I ask that people not downvote things they think are obvious (although still upvote the questions you find most useful). Note that even though these are questions, please submit them as answers to this question, rather than as related questions, just for simplicity.
How we plan to use this thread:
Maybe someone will answer your question. That would be cool.
It will help inform the LW COVID research agenda.
We’ve had some interest from an Official Government Agency in answering these kinds of questions in a truly exhaustive “So You Caught Coronavirus” guide. The relevant Official Government Agencies are pretty busy right now and this is the kind of project that can be dropped even when they’re not, but it is a thing that might happen.
More example questions:
When should I seek treatment vs. toughing it out at home?
Do I need to avoid my pets?
How do I know when I’m safe to rejoin society?
Do I need an electrolyte solution with potassium or is table salt enough?
How do I get to a doctor safely when I don’t have a car?
If the hospitals get overwhelmed and a family member in my home gets critically ill, what should I do to help them? Are there good YouTube videos that will teach me the basics of caring for someone with whatever lung problems the virus can cause absent my having medical equipment?
While potentially a morbid approach, you could check with any of the area hospice providers/organizations. They deal with people in very bad health situations all the time. Based on my experience (both parents died in 2017) end of live situations seem to get to a breathing ability management stage.
They might even be a source of oxygen machines that could be used if hospital ICU space is not available. (Not sure if those systems are included in the various counts people bandy around for the hospital ability to serve COVID-19 demands).
They can probably also give you advice on dealing with the situation where you would likely be feeling this might be an end of life situation for those people you care about. (If you have not been though that I can tell you, you are not prepared)
How bad is it to share a bathroom with someone who is infected? Are there things you can do to make that better?
The WHO guidance is that the person who is infected uses a mask as much as possible, that they use the bathroom for evening routine last (after you) and that they clean it/disinfect it after use.
How much does wiping down an object with disinfectant wipes reduce the risk of infection from that object?
It depends on:
what the object is/its surface material.
how effective the disinfectant used is.
how thorough the wiping is done. All clean, all disinfected, all good.
(how the now potentially infected wipe is handled).
If you’re looking for specifics then try researching “fomites” (objects that could carry infections) and how to clean what can be potentially contaminated.